Into The Night
by Kishite no Mirror
Summary: Hinted YxJ In the area of 24 hours, the Puzzle is shattered into a thousand pieces, the world is plunged into an eternal night, the people Yugi and Jou love are dying all around them, and the only one who knows what's going on would rather kill them.
1. And So It Begins

BH: I didn't do it!

Rhane: _rolls eyes_ Yeah, and I'm the bleedin' Messiah

Nathan: No, you're just in love with him

Rhane: _turns red_ Traitor!

BH: Children, please! We're supposed to be introducing my new story, not arguing.

Rhane: _half-way through trying to rip Nathan's hair out_ Do it yourself, authoress-lady!

BH: _sweatdrop_ Right... Anyway!_ turns back to readers_ Welcome to Into The Night, the deranged hybrid of a Yu-Gi-Oh kick inspired by the AMV Photograph (seriously, go to and give it a download, it's really cool) and a couple of very bored beta readers.

Indignant Beta Readers: It's your own fault!

BH: Oh, shut up! Anyway, little quick intro to the insanity that surrounds me _points to Rhane_ That's Rhane, better known as Blood Rhane or Satan. Yeah, she's the antichrist, the daughter of Lucifer, and my very unlucky muse of, guess what, anything controversial.

Nathan: And she's also in love with the human incarnation of the Messiah...

BH: And that's Nathan, my muse of comedy and romance, Rhane's life-long best friend and the reincarnation of the archangel Gabriel. He's my most reliable muse, and also the only creature capable of keep Rhane in line, besides possibly Christ himself. Christ isn't here at the moment, but he's my muse of the supernatural and suspense.

Bezelbub: Where is the mighty begotten son, anyway? _Fangirls scream in the background_

Rhane: Running errands for his old man

BH: Bezelbub is the oldest son of Lucifer, making him Rhane's older brother, and my muse of angst and drama. Don't let the cute face fool you, he's mean as all hell (literally) when you get him mad, but he's got nothing on his onee-chan, right Rhane?

Rhane: _sticks her tongue out at BH_

BH: And sorry, ladies, he's taken, not that I have a clue where Bel went...

Fangirls boo in the background, other scream and gush.

BH: Back to Into The Night...

Warnings: None really, save for a few slight JouxYugi hints and some blood and gore later. Oh, and the abnormal bust on a certain girl, but that's beside the point. And language, can't forget language...

Couples: None. Hints of AnzuxYugi (don't worry, it's not gonna last, I hate Anzu) and a large helping of JouxYugi hints, but there won't be any real romance.

**Disclaimer: If I owned Yu-Gi-Oh, do you really think Jou would be in love with MAI!**

**Into The Night Chapter 1: And So It Begins**

_I'm afraid to say, my children, that this is merely the beginning of your journey. From here the road will get harder, but we have given you gifts to help you on your way. Earth, Fire, and Air, powers no mortal has possessed in five millennia._

_It's time to wake up, children._

_Wake up._

"_Wake up, Yugi."_

"Yugi, Yugi, wake up."

Yugi cracked one eye open, glared blearily at his yami, "Go away," and rolled over to bury his face in his pillow.

"Merry Christmas to you, too, Yug'."

Yugi's head shot up and he twisted around to look past his yami at the boy leaning lazily against the bedroom doorframe. Jou nodded grimly to his best friend, "Mornin' Yug'." A smile spread across his face, stretching a scar that ran between his eyes and down to the corner of his mouth, "It's over."

"Over?" Yami asked, turning to look at the boy in the doorway with a puzzled expression.

Yugi was just as confused as his darker half, trying to understand what exactly Jou was talking about. Jou only smiled wider and nodded towards the white cloth tied around Yugi's wrist.

And everything came back. With a shout, Yugi leapt out of bed, forcing Yami to jump aside, and ran past Jou out into the hall. He nearly tripped running down the stairs, and again turning the corner into the kitchen. He felt Jou's hands hit his shoulders with an almost audible thump as he tried to stop himself from running the smaller boy over.

Red-rimmed green and purple eyes met his, looking decidedly odd without the kohl that normally lined them. Tears of relief welled up in Yugi's eyes and he felt Jou's grip on his shoulders tighten.

_You stayed. You're okay._

"Hey guys,"

_You're... smiling?_

"We did it."

_Is that... a bow in your hair?_

"Merry Christmas,"

_You almost got killed and you're telling us 'Merry Christmas'?_ _Yeah, I guess so._

**Three Weeks Ago**

Jou gave a long, tired yawn and slumped down on his desk.

"Didn't get much sleep last night?" Honda asked coyly.

"The old man came home drunk last night," Jou grumbled, "I didn't get any sleep."

"Aw, man," Honda grumbled, "I told you to come to my house when he did that."

"Kinda hard when he's trying to kill me most of the night."

Yugi winced sympathetically, but remained silent, standing in the doorway. He wasn't supposed to hear this conversation.

I know you're there, Yug'," Jou mumbled sleepily, not even looking towards the door.

/He's more observant asleep than awake/ Yami chuckled.

/Yami/

"I didn't mean to listen in," Yugi muttered, dropping his backpack on his desk.

Jou shrugged sleepily, "Who cares. You're my best friend, Yug', you'da found out eventually anyway."

Yugi smiled sadly, but anything he might have said was cut short when two of their classmates entered, laughing and joking. Ryou, sporting a well-hidden limp, entered soon after, and Yugi's concern immediately did a one-eighty to the injured ring-bearer.

"Are you alright?" Yugi asked quietly, looking Ryou over for more injuries.

"Fine," Ryou replied, smiling faintly, "Why do you ask?"

Yugi sighed and shook his head, "It's... it's nothing." What could he do? If he tried to interfere, Bakura would only hurt Ryou more.

Ryou gave him a slight, grateful smile, then turned back to some last-minute homework he had not had time to do last night. The rest of the class slowly filed in, none too willing to begin another week of school, especially so close to the Christmas holiday.

Yugi yawned and rested his head on his arms. Jou wasn't the only one who was sleepy; he'd been up all night trying to finish an essay for that stupid history teacher that seemed under the impression that Cairo was a Greek god and Ramses was a Chinese food.

By the time their teacher came in, Yugi's eyes began to droop. Ten minutes into class, he was being lulled to sleep by the sound of Jou's surprisingly loud snoring.

"_There you are, Bastet!"_

_The huge black werewolf sat up on its haunches and studied Yugi curiously before bending down to lick Yugi's face. Yugi smiled and reached up to stroke the monster's head, "What have you been up to?"_

_Bastet growled and nuzzled Yugi's cheek. The giant werewolf placed its hand on the ground, and without a thought Yugi stepped onto it. He fit perfectly into the palm on the monster's hand. Bastet placed Yugi on its shoulder and crouched down on all fours._

"_Where are we going?" Yugi asked, nestling his hands into the beast's warm fur._

_Bastet only growled in response and took off at a trot, which quickly became a full-fledged run, and Yugi found himself shouting in delight as they leapt over a huge wall at least twice Bastet's size. He could hear enraged priests shouting for them to come back, but he didn't care._

_It felt like they ran for hours, and, as far as Yugi was concerned, they didn't need to stop. Then, suddenly, Bastet ground to a halt at the entrance to a cave. Yugi released his grip on Bastet's fur and slid down the werewolf's arm to walk in front of it._

"_Where exactly are we, you damn hairball with legs?" Yugi asked very uncharacteristically. Bastet only growled in response and nudged him forward with one huge hand. "Okay, okay, I get it."_

_He moved forward slowly, unsure of what to expect. Bastet was his most loyal monster, one of the few that was never expected to return to the Shadow Realm, but it wouldn't be the first time a monster turned on its master._

_He glanced back at the werewolf, a slight chuckle escaping his lips as its head brushed the ceiling and knocked into low rocks. No, Bastet would never betray him._

_Finally the tunnel opened up onto a huge ledge and Yugi let out a small gasp when he looked over. Stretching out, as far as the eye could see, the ocean, deep black, with blurs of gold and green drifting just below the surface. Monsters were moving just below the water._

"_It took us a while, but we found it,"_

_Yugi spun around. Someone was walking out of the tunnel._

"_Beautiful isn't it? Imagine what it must have looked like in his vision, with sunlight bouncing off the waves and monster's leaping from them."_

_Yugi looked back at the ocean, "Yeah, beautiful."_

_A hand touched his shoulder, "You okay, Pharaoh?"_

Yugi's mind was on the dream for the rest of the day. At lunch he barely touched his food, which resulted in mild panic from several of his friends. Yami remained stubbornly silent all through the day. He was in such a daze on the way home that he walked out into the middle of the street without thinking.

"Yug', watch it!"

Something knocked Yugi's feet out from under him and a pair of arms lifted him off the ground. Suddenly he was tumbling across the ground, the arms wrapped tightly around him and shielding him from any major harm. They fell in a heap on the ground and Yugi pressed his face into his savior's shoulder. For several minutes they just lay there, gasping for air.

"You okay, Yug'?" a familiar voice gasped, the arms wrapping just a little more tightly around him. Yugi grunted in response and pressed his face deeper into Jou's shoulder, too stunned to say much else. Jou sighed and ruffled Yugi's hair, "Glad I followed ya. You'd be some guy's new hood ornament now if I hadn't, ya nut. What were ya thinkin'?"

Yugi simply shook his head, "Sorry, I wasn't paying attention."

"Obviously," Jou muttered.

/Yugi, are you alright/

Oh, sure, NOW he notices what's going on.

/Yeah, Yami, I'm fine. Just a little... mishap./

Yugi could tell his darker half didn't believe him, but the spirit returned to his musings just the same. He trusted Yugi enough to tell him when something was wrong.

Jou grunted and sat up slightly, still keeping his deathgrip around Yugi, and groaned, "Man, what's up with you today?"

Yugi shook his head, finally looking up at his savior, "Nothing, I'm just tired. I was up all night working on my essay."

"Liar," Jou muttered and stood up, finally releasing Yugi, "You don't walk head-long into a car 'cause ya tired!"

/Aibou./

"It's nothing," Yugi muttered, looking away.

/Yugi/

"Yug'," Jou began.

/Yugi/

"Just drop it!" Yugi snapped, just a little more forcefully than he meant to.

Jou froze.

/YUGI/

Yugi jumped slightly/What/

/If you're done yelling/ Yami chided coldly/I'm sensing some very powerful shadow magic nearby. We may need to go check it out./

Yugi closed his eyes and rubbed him temples/Alright./

"Yug'?" Jou asked tentatively, "What is it?"

Yugi closed his eyes, "Yami senses something. We're going to check it out."

"I'm comin' with ya," Jou replied immediately.

Yugi developed a panicked look, "No. This might get dangerous!"

"What do ya call Duelist Kingdom?" Jou replied icily, "Hello, best friends, together forever, all that jazz? I'm comin' with ya, Yug', and you're not stoppin' me!"

/Stubborn/ Yami chuckled lightly.

"Fine," Yugi grumbled/Where to, Yami/

/The park, it's coming from the park/

/Right/ Yugi nodded, and set off in the aforementioned direction with a backwards glance at Jou.

/Hurry, Yugi. It's growing./

Yugi broke into a full-out run, barreling down sidewalks and narrowly missing getting hit by a few more cars, much to Jou's chagrin.

The park was mostly deserted, to Yugi's immense relief. The last thing they needed if something were to attack was a bunch of people getting caught in the crossfire.

/Stop/ Yami mentally shouted, and Yugi did, so fast that he was almost run over by a startled Jou.

/Here/ Yugi asked, looking around.

/Here./

"I don't see anything," Yugi muttered, looking around.

/Give it time, Aibou. It will come./

"What is it?" Jou asked as Yugi flopped down on the bench.

"Yami says to wait and see what happens," Yugi replied.

Jou sighed and slumped down in the seat next to Yugi, "Never a dull day with you around, is there?"

Yugi giggled and shook his head, fingering the Millennium Puzzle out of sheer habit, the closed his eyes, "Jounouchi-kun..."

"Huh?"

"Sorry... about the way I acted earlier. I'm just..."

Jou sighed and leaned back, stretching his arms to take up the entire back of the bench, "Don' worry about it, Yug'. We all act a little crazy sometimes."

"But-" Yugi began.

"No buts," Jou interrupted, "Just drop it, okay. We're friends, aren't we?" Yugi nodded. "Then there's nothin' else ta worry about."

"Jou..."

"Drop it, Yug'," Jou closed his eyes and smiled, "Wake me up when... whatever it is, gets here."

"Sure thing, Jounouchi-kun," Yugi muttered, even though the blonde was already asleep, and allowed the taller boy's head to fall against his own. He could have sworn he heard Yami chuckling in the back of his mind.

Yugi smiled and decided to follow his friend's example, leaning back and closing his eyes. But he barely fell into a light doze before a jolt of shadow energy banished any thoughts of sleep from his mind he might have had.

/Yami/ he asked tentatively.

/It's here./

And suddenly the air in front of Yugi exploded into a mass of roiling, black shadows. Tendrils reached out of the portal, then snapped back as though they'd been burned. And, in the center, was a small patch of white, slowly expanding.

/That's not an ordinary Shadow Realm portal/ Yami mused.

The portal suddenly collapsed in on itself, then exploded outward again, and something slammed into Yugi and Jou with enough force to knock the wind out of them and tilt the bench they were sitting on. The world swam in front of Yugi for a moment before slowly coming back into focus.

"Aw, man, wha' hit me?" Jou mumbled next to him, "Fells like a tank..."

Yugi looked down at the object that had struck him and gasped.

"Eh? Yug'?"

Stretched across their laps, apparently out cold, was what could have been mistake for a young girl, save for that fact that no child was that...

"Jeeze," Jou whistled appreciatively, "that rack's bigger than she is!"

**End Chapter 1**

Rhane: _twitch_ BH...

BH: _points to Sumi-chan_ It's her fault!

Nathan: Let my translate the blonde. You see, BH has thirteen betas that specialize in various forms of writing. Every time she starts a major fic, such as Into The Night, each beta gives her one line to use. Sumi-chan, her grammatical beta, gave her that last line that you just read.

Bezelbub: We'll make sure to tell you when the other twelve are used.

BH: Well, folks, that's all for now. HA! I BEAT MY DEADLINE FOR ONCE! IN YOUR FACE, NEE-CHAN!

Nathan: sweatdrop Happy New Year, all. Have a great year.

**Please R&R, Constructive criticism always appreciated, Flames will be Jou's new pets (you'll get it at the end of the story)**

_"And the Lord said, "This isn't going to end well..." _– Rhane, talking to Christ near the end of my Blood Rhane story (which may eventually get published on


	2. The Beginning of The End

EDIT:MEH! I didn't realize I forgot to take the translation for Yami's spell off before I posted this! Sorry!

BH: I'm tired, I'm sore, and I'm now quite sure my house is haunted...

Rhane: Folks, our beloved authoress, magnet for all these strange and supernatural, has been taking pictures of her new house all day and there are orbs everywhere

Bezelbub: _shifting through a large collection of pictures on Bloodstained Hallelujah's all-knowing-laptop_ And I thought my family was weird...

Nathan: They are weird. You're the children of Lucifer...

BH: Anyways, I doubt you folks wanna listen to my rants and raves about my new house being haunted, so I'll, for once in my life, get right to the story, mostly cause I'm too dead tired to write a witty author's note without giving myself a migraine worthy of Seto Kaiba on his worst day

Malik: That's a first

BH: Oh, shut up, dumb blonde

Malik: _grabs BH's hair_ You're one to talk, miss neon-white rat's nest

BH: Man-whore!

Malik: Hentai reject!

Christ:_ sweatdrop _While the children argue, I'll take care of BH-chan's normal jobs. Thanks to our wonderful reviewers, I think BH-chan's beta readers nearly died of shock when they realized that some people actually got off their lazy arses long enough to give a review

Rhane: MESSIAH! Such language!

Christ: _blushes_ Also, thanks for the favorite Ayako-san, Sanity-san won a bet with Amanda-chan thanks to that. Koibito, would you mind doing BH-chan's disclaimer?

Rhane: Do I have to?

Christ: _Holy Glare of Death_

Rhane: Jeeze, alright... **Disclaimer: While BH may not own Yu-Gi-Oh, she does own the evil sadistic little bitch **_gets hit in the head by Christ with the Lance of Longinus _Oww, damn Messiah... **Kuro, the all-too-disturbing Night, and the ever-creepy guardians. God and Daddy and all in-between help us all.**

Christ: There is still something frightening about Lucifer being called Daddy... How the mighty have fallen...

Rhane: This coming from the son of God reincarnated as a human to escape the corruption of heaven...

Nathan: _loudly_ AND NOW ON WITH THE STORY!

_**Into The Night Chapter 2: The Beginning of The End**_

BH: Ah, the cheesy titles know no end...

**Day 1**

Yugi poked his head cautiously into the room and let out a soft sigh. "Still asleep?" Jou asked, leaning over his shoulder to peer into the room.

"Yeah," Yugi sighed, closing the door. He rubbed his head, "What a day..."

"Morning, boys," Suguroku mumbled sleepily as he walked by, heading into the kitchen. He paused and turned around, "I thought you were going home last night, Jounouchi." He groaned, "Never mind. Do you two want breakfast, or will you be too busy swooning over that girl you dragged in yesterday?"

"Sure, Gramps," Jou replied offhandedly, giving a slight wave.

Suguroku shook his head, "She's not going to wake up for a while. Just let her sleep." He chuckled, "Getting thrown out of a Shadow Realm portal will take its toll on you, you know." _(Beta line #2 of 13)_

Chuckling to himself, Suguroku smiled at the two boys and moved off into the kitchen to make breakfast for his one grandson and his grandson's possibly someday more than a best friend. He paused at this thought, shook his head again, and decided it was time to stop eating jalapeños and whiskey before bed.

"Never a dull day with you around," Jou muttered, shaking his head. He glanced back at the door, "Where d'ya think she came from, anyway?"

Yugi shrugged and opened the door again. The girl still had not moved from her spot on the guest bed. She looked almost normal, black hair marked with streaks of premature grey, and eyes lined with kohl, until you saw her clothes: a short black ancient Egyptian-style skirt, ripped at the edges, and a set of black cloths crossing her well-endowed chest. Gold bands circled her arms, wrists, and neck, and a single gold chain held her hair in a knot at the base of her neck.

"Gold city," Jou muttered, following Yugi's gaze, "think she's rich?"

Yugi only shook his head and closed the door, "C'mon, I'm hungry, and we've gotta go to school today."

**Day 3**

/Aibou/

Yugi sat up in his seat slightly/What is it, Yami/

/I think your friend's awake. I can sense Shadow magic coming from your house. /

/Shadow Magic/ Yugi asked, sitting up straighter/Is everything okay/

/I don't think it's anything to worry about. It seems like defensive magic. /

"Yug'," Jou muttered as he leaned over in his seat once their teacher's back was turned, "what's up?"

At that moment their teacher turned around, "Something you two wish to share with the class, boys?"

"Nothing," Yugi and Jou chorused.

A few seconds later, a folded piece of paper skidded into Yugi's desk. Their teacher turned back to the blackboard and Yugi was momentarily blinded by sunlight reflected off his bald spot. He looked down and opened the note.

'Well?'

Yugi sighed and scrawled back:

'Yami thinks she's awake.'

He flicked the note back at Jou just before the teacher turned back around. He glares suspiciously at them for a moment, then returned to his lecture. Once he turned his back again the note skidded onto Yugi's desk.

'How?'

Yugi rolled his eyes.

'There's Shadow magic coming from the house. Nothing dangerous'

'Ya sure?'

/Yami/

/I'm sure. /

'Yami says he's sure.'

'Want me to come when ya go home?'

'Yeah that'd be great, thanks'

'No problem, Yug''

"Mr. Mouto," a hand came down on Yugi's desk. Yugi looked up and cringed. "The note, please." Their teacher held his hand out. Yugi heard Jou slap his forehead and swear.

'_I can't give it to him!' _Yugi thought, panic-stricken. _'How am I supposed to explain this!'_

"Mr. Mouto..."

Cringing, Yugi looked down at the paper and, with a gulp, balled it up and tossed it in his mouth. He could practically hear the jaws dropping as he chewed.

"Well," Jou muttered, shaking his head, "I guess detention's better than what woulda' happened if he'd 'a read it."

Yugi kicked a rock and sent it skittering into the wheels of a passing car, "But it's still unfair. We were supposed to go to that movie with Anzu on Saturday."

"How mad was she when ya told her?" Jou asked, having been arguing with their teacher at the time.

Yugi sighed, "She's giving me the silent treatment. Says I should have just given him the note, 'not like it was a love letter or anything.'" He shook his head dejectedly.

Jou cringed and thanked whatever higher power was listening that Yugi was looking at the ground at the moment, because he was quite sure he was blushing. He was distracted, however, when Suguroku came running out of the game shop to greet them.

"She's awake," he wheezed, bending over to catch his breath. Yugi's eyes instantly lit up and he opened his mouth to speak. "But you don't want to go in there!"

"Why?" Jou asked, glancing up at the window to the guest room.

"She... She tried to attack me!" Suguroku gasped, "I opened the door to check on her and she nearly bashed my skull in with her fist!"

"What!"

Suguroku nodded weakly, "I locked her in the room, but she picked the lock! I've got her locked in the cellar when she came after me again."

"Did she say anything?" Yugi asked worriedly.

"Nothing I could understand. She was speaking a language I've never heard before, but I got the distinct impression that she didn't like me."

/If you're going to insist on checking on her, and I know you are, aibou, then maybe you should let me take over. /

/I thought you said she wasn't using dangerous magic. / Yugi thought bitterly.

/It's not the magic I worry about. / Yugi felt Yami give a mental shudder. / She's angry. I can feel it. /

"What is it, Yugi?" Suguroku asked, catching Yugi's vacant 'I'm-talking-to-Yami' expression.

Yugi blinked, "Huh?" He shook his head, "Sorry. What?"

"We gonna go check on her?" Jou asked, glancing over Suguroku's shoulder at the shop door.

Yugi nodded slowly, "Yeah. Yami wants to get a better look at her."

As they walked into the shop, Suguroku was making sure to keep a few steps behind the boys, Yugi felt himself being pushed back into his soulroom so Yami could take over. He watched through his own eyes as Yami opened the basement door and was struck with a blast of Shadow magic powerful enough to knock him off his feet. He stumbled backwards into Jou and groaned.

/Yami/ Yugi mentally shouted.

/ I'm alright, aibou/ Yami assured and Jou pushed him back onto his feet/ she simply caught me off guard. /

"You okay?" Jou asked, giving the ex-pharaoh a worried look.

Yami gritted his teeth and nodded, "This is going to be interesting." He stepped across the threshold and was struck with another blast of magic. This time, he was prepared, and set up a barrier of his own to block the onslaught. There was a startled gasp from the foot of the stairs, and Yami stepped forward.

"Y-Yami?" Jou asked worriedly.

"Ssh..."

He took a few more steps down the stairs and paused, "She's set a trap here. Don't move."

Jou, with one foot raised in the air, froze on the spot. Yami closed his eyes and touched the Millennium Puzzle hanging around his neck. It glowed for a moment and a translucent, deep red wall appeared before him.

"That's a trap?" Jou muttered.

"A powerful one, too," Yami muttered, waving one had slightly at the taller teen, "nothing like any trap card in a duel." He reached out and placed his hand on the wall, whispering an incantation in Egyptian. A moment later, the wall shattered and Yami began walking forward again. Jou gave a relieved sigh and dropped his foot with a resonating thump. Yami shot him a dark look and moved further down the stairs.

She was standing at the foot of the stairs, a long knife held in each hand, glaring up at Yami with blank, pitch black eyes. Dark mist was curling out of her eyes, wrapping in tight tendrils around her body. It suddenly, and very oddly, occurred to Yugi that she wasn't much taller than he was, but something in the way she stood, in the way the mists wrapped around her, made her seem much taller, much more dangerous.

"_Kela!"_ she snarled, pointing one of the knives at Yami, "_Kela nadorhuan!"_

"What the heck's she sayin'?" Jou muttered, backing up a step.

"I don't know," Yami whispered, backing up as well, "but she's definitely not happy with us."

Without warning, the girl charged at Yami, taking long, dangerous swipes at him with her knives. He dived to the side and tried to get behind her. Without warning, she swung around and rammed her elbow into his throat, effectively winding him and knocking him backwards down the stairs.

/YAMI/

Without missing a beat, she charged at Jou, who wasn't nearly as quick to react as Yami was. He danced backwards up the stairs, barely more than an inch from each swipe of her blade.

She was good, Yami had to admit. Her moves were frighteningly random, never striking for the same place twice, and once blade always swung around to block any the other left, but there was a grace, almost ease, to them, one that betrayed exactly how thought out each swipe was.

'_He won't be able to avoid her much longer,' _Yami thought, _'I have to do something.'_

/What about a spell/ Yugi asked/A trap like she set/

Yami fell silent for a moment, watching Jou dancing within inches of death, each swipe getting a little closer to his gut. Something clicked in the back of his mind.

Suddenly her hand arced up and struck Jou across the face. He howled in pain and stumbled back, hands reaching for her face. She smiled wickedly, the mist around her body reaching for Jou, twisting around him.

"Don't stop, Jounouchi!" Yami shouted, "She'll kill you if you stop! Lead her back into the guest room! I can trap her there!"

Jou stared, Yami's words taking just a little too long to register. The girl leapt forward, but Jou pulled back just in time. The blade struck by the corner of his mouth, and Jou leapt back, cursing.

"_Tanya!"_ she shouted, darting forward again.

"Get her upstairs!" Yami shouted, dragging himself to his feet.

Giving his one last backwards glance, Jou nodded and turned to bolt back up the stairs. Suguroku, who'd been standing at the top of the stairs, dived out of the way for safety. Jou ignored him completely and pounded his way to the stairs, praying the psycho midget wouldn't catch him first.

He paused at the top of the flight of stairs to dump a bag of marbles from his pocket down the stairs. Much to his utter horror, his attacker simply leapt onto the wall and charged him that way.

"Jeeze!" Jou shouted, spinning around, "That always works in the movies!"

"_Dolle na lost!"_

Jou swore and dived into the guest room that the girl had previously inhabited and pinned himself flat against the open door. Moments later, she came charging into the room, and Jou grabbed the doorknob and dived from the room, slamming the door behind him.

"Made it!" he shouted, slumping down against the door to catch his breath, "Jeezus she's fast!" A chunk of the door suddenly exploded outward and Jou yelped and dived across the hall. "Holy shit!" he moaned, staring at the kitchen utensil protruding from the door exactly where his head had been.

"Jounouchi!" Yami gasped, skidding to a stop in front of him, "Are you alright?"

"Fine," Jou croaked, his whole body shaking, "just lock that scary broad up or something. Now. Please."

Yami nodded and closed his eyes as the Puzzle began to glow again. He stepped towards the door and reached into his pocket, "_Signum is ianua; signum is atrum animus_." He withdrew a fistful of ash from his pocket and scattered it on the floor in front of the door._ "Per illa cinis cineris redimio huic locus is atrum animus. Subsisto reus hic adeo ut peius mos est patesco. Trans is versus, tantum putus can insisto, quod tantum putus ero tutela. Subsisto reus insquequo vestri atrum mos est absentis. Sic is est written, sic is vadum exsisto."_

The door glowed faintly for several minutes before falling blank again. Yami staggered and fell backwards, and Jou had to dive forward to catch him before he fell. Grunting, he sat back against the wall again and let Yami lean against him.

"She's... very powerful," Yami muttered, eyes closed, "She almost stopped me."

/Let me take over again, Yami/ Yugi suggested/You need to rest. /

Yami nodded and relinquishing control of Yugi's body, retreating into his soulroom for a nice, long, nap.

"You okay, Yug'?" Jou asked, looking down at the smaller boy.

Yugi looked worriedly up at the gash on Jou's face, well aware that it probably needed stitches, and nodded numbly, "Just a little tired, but what about your face?"

"Eh?" Jou reached up to touch the stream of blood running down his face, "Oh, this? This is nothin'," he yawned, widely, suddenly exhausted, then winced as it stretched the wound, "Man! Runnin' from psychotic midgets sure takes it outta ya! I need a nap, then we can worry about this." But, when he looked down again, Yugi was already asleep, head nestled against Jou's chest. "Ya know, you're right, Yug'. This seems like the perfect place for a nap, right outside the scary broad's door!"

An hour later, when Suguroku finally decided it was safe enough to brave the upper corridors of his suddenly crowded home, he would find them fast asleep in that same place, Jou slumped against the wall with his arms wrapped protectively around Yugi and Yugi with his head nestled under Jou's chin, looking for all the world like a small angel.

Suguroku giggled at sight and ran off to find his camera and a blanket to wrap around the boys once he was done getting enough blackmail pictures to last him through a few weeks worth of store-sitting and chores.

**Day 4**

"Man, Jou, what happened to your face!"

Jou winced at the sound of his life-long friend's voice, knowing all too well that the shout would draw the attention of the entire class. Indeed, before he and Yugi got through the doorway, Jou was swarmed by curious and concerned classmates.

"Broken window," he muttered, trying to force his way through the crowd, "it's nothin', really." Honda gave him the patented 'bullshit' look, but dropped it at a quick glance, but that didn't stop him from wincing every time he saw the sixteen stitches marring Jou's face.

"What really happened?" Honda would continue to ask all through the day, (Anzu looked as though she might, then remembered that she was still not speaking to the boys) but Jou and Yugi would resolutely maintain their story. They had agreed not to tell the others about Yugi's new houseguest, at least until they figured out what to DO with her.

"If we let her go," Yugi reasoned later, "she'd end up in a prison or a mental asylum, or shot... or-"

"I get it," Jou muttered quickly, well aware of the slight panic crossing Yugi's face.

"She's stolen one of my go boards," Suguroku announced as Jou and Yugi entered the game shop that afternoon.

"What?" Yugi asked, automatically looking up the stairs.

"She slipped downstairs while I was eating lunch and ran off with one of my go boards!"

"Huh?" Jou gave Yugi a confused look, "I thought she couldn't get past the doorway."

/Yeah, Jou's right/ Yugi thought, giving his snoozing Yami a mental prod/How'd she get past/

/It's a barrier/ Yami yawned/If she has ill intentions towards us, she won't be able to get past it, but if she doesn't intend to harm you/ he paused to give a wide, sleepy yawn/she's free to move about the house. I placed a second barrier on the shop door last night to keep her from leaving completely. Now, if you don't mind, I am in dire need of sleep. /

Yugi quickly relayed this information to his friend and grandfather, leaving out the last bit about the nap.

"Well, I'd prefer if she DIDN'T steal my merchandise," Suguroku grumbled.

**Day 5**

Cringing, Yugi opened the guest room door and peered in. The girl was lying on her side on the bed, half-curled around an old-fashioned go board with a single black piece set in the 9-6 point on the board. Her arm lay draped between the board and a cup of black stones.

"Weird," Yugi muttered, walking into the room. A single white piece was set on the edge of the board, "A challenge?"

"Yug'!" Jou yelled from downstairs, "C'mon! We're gonna be late!"

Yugi grabbed the piece off the edge of the board and quickly placed it near the white piece, then turned around and ran back down the stairs.

When he returned that afternoon to check on her, he found another black piece laid out and another white waiting for him.

"You like the color black, don't you?" Yugi mused at the girl, who now sat in the open window, stubbornly ignoring him. "Then I think I'll call you Kuro-chan, at least until we find out what your real name is."

**Day 15**

Yugi gently nudged the door open with his foot and sighed at the site that greeted him. His charge, seemingly having given up on massacring him once she realized she was trapped, was sitting in the open window, staring out at the fading darkness of night. (Shouldn't it be totally light out by now?) She had been in that same position when he arrived from school the previous day, and all the days before since her captivity began.

"Breakfast, Kuro-chan," he announced needlessly as he set the tray, laden with eggs, bacon, and toast on the desk near her bed, "I suggest you eat it this time, 'cause you won't get anything else till dinner." He smiled despite himself, "Grandpa's still too petrified to walk by your door, much less come in here. And I have to go to school." Recently she had been taking to ignoring her food when Yugi brought it to her.

He got the vague impression that it was because he was currently winning their on-going game of go, but only by three points. Technically, with komi, she was winning. Smiling at this odd thought, he picked up the black stone sitting on the board's edge and set it down effectively capturing another white stone.

"Your move,"

If she heard, much less understood, him, she did not acknowledge it, simply continuing to stare out into the ever-growing light. It occurred to Yugi that her skin, despite having an Arabian tint, seemed to be oddly translucent in daylight, but seemed dark enough to blend in with the night sky behind her at night.

/Are you sure she's human/ Yugi asked worriedly as he left the room/Could she be a monster in disguise/

/She's far too intelligent for an ordinary monster/ Yami mused/Her attack patterns show that, but it is possible. If she is, we are in serious trouble, aibou. /

Yugi cringed/I think she's human... / he replied quickly/I hope. /

"How's she doin'?" Jou asked as he caught up with Yugi on the way to school.

"Well, she's not trying to kill me anymore," Yugi admitted, "but that doesn't mean much."

"Who's winnin'?"

"Me, but she'd win if we were counting komi,"

When they reached the school, they were surprised to find it empty.

"Wha?" Yugi asked intelligently, staring dumbly at the locked gates. In the back of his mind, Yami broke into a fit of giggles. /What's so funny/

/You've been so distracted by Kuro-san/ Yami uncharacteristically snickered/You forgot your Christmas break began today. /

/It WHAT/ Yugi asked.

"What's goin' on?" Jou asked, glancing down at Yugi.

"Christmas break," Yugi muttered weakly, the full impact of his own mental lapse slowly sinking on, "We're on Christmas break..."

"Oh... What!" a grin slowly spread across Jou's face and he punched his fist into the air, "AWRIGHT! ARCADE, HERE I COME!"

"It's going to be way too crowded," Yugi reminded weakly, "Everybody's going to be there." He turned slightly pink, "Probably Anzu-chan and Honda too, and Anzu's still refusing to speak to me."

Jou sighed, "Yeah, you're right." He thought for a moment, "How 'bout we go back to your place and do some dueling?"

Yugi nodded, smiling brightly, "Yeah, and I wanna see if Kuro-chan's taken her turn yet, too."

"You're getting' obsessed," Jou muttered, taking off in the direction of the game shop. "C'mon, I'll race ya back!" But something had caught Yugi's attention. He was looking up at the sky, mouth set in a tight line. Jou looked back, "Yug'? What is it?"

"It's getting darker..."

Thunder roared so close it made their ears ring like church bells and, with an explosion like a hundred shotguns firing, a bolt of crimson lighting struck the ground between them, effectively tossing both boys back several feet.

"What the hell was that!" Jou shouted, scrambling to his feet.

Yugi groaned and sat up, rubbing his head, "Ow..."

There was another explosion of thunder and this time the lightning was a little too close for comfort. It struck next to his shoulder, burning through the fabric and leaving a deep gash in his arm.

"C'mon!" Jou shouted, grabbing Yugi's hand and pulling him up, "I dunno what's goin' on, but I'm not stayin' to find out. Let's get outta here!"

"That sounds good," Yugi muttered weakly as he was yanked forward.

/Yugi! What's going on/ Yami asked, suddenly very much awake/I just sensed a huge surge of power/

/Talk later/ Yugi mentally shuddered.

There was another, much louder, roar and suddenly everything in front of Yugi went red. Flecks of gold flew through the air, one striking Yugi under the eye, and everything suddenly faded into deep, endless black.

_**End Chapter 2**_

Jou: _staring dumbstruck at the last line_ BH... _twitch_

BH: Well, still not as long as I'd like, but I think I'll end there just the same

Christ: You are one sick, twisted little human...

BH: Anyways... it's now three in the morning and I've now watched _Prince of Egypt_ enough times to rattle it off word for word on prompt, so now I think it's time to go to sleep

Marik: _slowly backing away from Jou_ you just try that...

Sanity-kun (aka beta-reader number 5): _looking at first author's note_ Hentai reject? _Looks at BH_ Wow, you're right...

BH: _twitch twitch_ Excuse me?

Nina-chan (beta-reader number 5): Well, look at you, long, natural blonde hair, blue eyes... you're built for the part

BH: I play football, not fuck, thank you very much!

Christ: _winces_ Such an intelligent girl shouldn't have such a foul mouth...

BH: Anyway, the usual stuff **PLEASE R&R, comments are always appreciated**

Rhane: By the way, if any of you know anything about the Hotel San Carlos in Phoenix, Arizona, please tell us. BH will be staying there over the weekend for a gift show, and we want to know some of the ghost stories people have about it.

BH: Speaking of my trip, I might not be able to update for a while, 'cause as soon as that's over I'm going back to school (man, I've still gotta do my lit homework, too) so please be patient. The more reviews I get, the faster I'll update.


	3. Everything They Must Learn

BH:I know, it's short. Please don't kill me. The next chapter's gonna be super-long, then there's gonna be one or two chapters after that. I wanna get through this story and get to Bloodstained Messiah and the ones after. Well, you guys have waited long enough, so I won't keep you.

**Disclaimer: You know the drill**

**Into The Night Chapter 3: Everything They Must Learn**

**Day 15**

Suguroku Mutou stared warily up at the figure sitting in the open window above him. Even if she wasn't looking directly at him, her eyes seemed fixed somewhere far away, he knew she was watching him. She watched everything. Kuro, Yugi called her, black, like the skirt she wore, like the dark mist that had come out of her eyes the day she'd woken up, like her skin had been when she was in the shadows. Dark like the sky above them.

Suguroku stopped at this thought and looked up. Yes, the sky really was getting darker. Much darker. The sun itself seemed to be fading out of existence. "What on earth is happening?" He looked up at the window again. Kuro was staring down at him, eyes dark and, he allowed himself to think, even a little afraid. _Inside,_ her eyes told him, _Get inside._ He did as he was told.

**Day 30**

"Move."

Jou cracked an eye open, taking a moment to take in the blurry shape leaning over him. Kuro was leaning over him, arms crossed, and tapping a long, deadly-looking hunting knife against her dark arm. "Whaa?"

She turned and pointed over the edge of the dingy roof they were currently camped out on, "Move."

Jou grumbled something inaudible and crawled across the room to peer down at the ground below. A large pack of silver-grey wolves were stalking around the building, looking for a well-hidden entrance. Jou looked back at Kuro and found her quickly shoving their little remaining supplies into a worn out bag. With a sigh he got up, dusted himself off, and walked to the opposite edge of the roof to see if they could jump to the next one. He felt Kuro join him, amazed at how quietly she moved. "Think we can make it?"

Without answering, not that he expected her to, she knelt on the roof's edge and leapt across the gap. She knelt on the next roof and picked up a long pole, tossing it at Jou without looking at him. Studying the long pole, Jou gave a long-suffering sigh and vaulted across to the next roof. Kuro was already two roofs away.

It was how they had existed for the last two weeks, since Yugi had disappeared and the sun had vanished. With a shudder, Jou remembered seeing the Sennen Puzzle shatter and Yugi dissolve into a shadow that eventually spread as far as he could see. By the time he had made it back to the Game Shop, monsters had begun appearing and he found Kuro in front of the shop, knives in hand, with a pile of dead monsters around her. Suguroku was nowhere to be found. They had fled not long after, and had remained on the run since.

Kuro had managed to learn a few, broken words since then, and had used them to lead Jou from shelter to shelter, just a few steps ahead of the monsters. It was just enough for Jou to understand they were searching for something, maybe someone. He was still wondering why he trusted the crazy girl who had tried to kill him. Maybe because she seemed to be the only other human left alive.

"Kuro?" Jou asked uncertainly. She had suddenly stopped, crouched at the edge of a roof overlooking a burned out building. It took a moment to realize that it was the Kame Game Shop. Jou made a small, strangled noise.

A hand touched his arm, "Go-go...men."

Jou looked down at the small, black hand rested in his arm and sighed, "I really liked him, you know." He tapped the white go stone she had tied around her wrist, his way of telling her he was talking about Yugi.

"Liked him," Kuro repeated, making a face that said 'I think I get it', the slowly said, "Kalil, your Kalil."

"Ka...lil?" Jou repeated uncertainly.

Kuro nodded, "Kalil..." she tapped the black go stone on her wrist, only a little darker than her skin, which meant she was talking about herself, "Liked your Kalil. Your Kalil," she tapped the stone again, "Nadidah." My Nadidah.

"Nadidah?" She made another face, a thinking face, then held up her wrist with the two go stones on it and pointed to both of them, then to the knife attached to her ankle. The knife meant fight, the stones represented Yugi and Kuro, _Enemy?_ but she had a slight smile, not the serious face she usually wore. "Rival? He's your rival?"

"Rival," Kuro echoed, "rival."

It was just another one of their makeshift, along-the-way-to-where-ever-it-is-we're-going Japanese/whatever language Kuro spoke lessons. They traveled for another two hours, eventually taking to the ground before Kuro lead him into a bank, picked the lock on a vault, and quite plainly announced, by way of beginning to unpack, that they would be staying here for the day. Since the sun had disappeared, day was darker than night, and Kuro refused to travel outside during the day. Jou had questioned this, and her only reply had been to show him what appeared to be claw marks from something grabbing her shoulder.

Kuro was sitting cross-legged on the floor, sharpening her knives (she had seven, hidden in various places, that Jou had seen) when Jou laid down on the floor next to her and began, not for the first time, to study the ebony-skinned girl. No one he knew had skin that dark, and it only seemed darker in the shadows of the vault. Even though she was bent over here knives, Jou knew she was watching him, too. Her dark eyes studied him curiously. Finally, she set down the knife and turned to him, one eyebrow arched. 'What?'

"What's your name?" Jou asked suddenly. He didn't know why he asked, but he did. She gave him a confused look. Jou pointed to his chest, "Jou. My name's Jou," then tapped her white go stone, "His name's Yugi." He pointed to her and gave her a question look.

Kuro shook her head and went back to her knives, "Sleep."

"Your name's... Oh!" he sighed and shook his head, "Fine, don't tell me."

"Sleep," she repeated, "Jou."

Jou stared for just a moment before shaking his head again and pulling off his jacket to use it as a pillow, "'Night."

Kuro ignored him, but a small, tight smile tugged at her lips when he began to snore. Before it got farther she shook her head and muttered to herself.

**Day 31**

Jou was brought out of sleep by something cold and wet pressed to his face. 'I got into another fight,' he thought blearily, 'and that's Yugi cleaning up my cuts again.' Then, something _licked_ him. He sat up with a yell and crab-walked backwards as fast as he could until he hit a wall. Trying to calm his racing heart, he found himself staring at a large, black werewolf. It was crouched down on all fours, but it's head still brushed the ceiling, and it was staring at Jou with... was that a hurt look?

"Bastet."

Jou leapt several feet in the air as Kuro walked out of the shadow next to him. "What?"

Kuro calmed walked up to the monster, who obligingly lowered its head and nuzzled it against hers. Jou was amazed to realize that she was smiling. He slowly got up and, carefully, carefully, approached them. "Bastet," she repeated, touching the side of the monster's long snout, then she reached into her pocket and pulled out a Duel Monsters card, holding it up for Jou to see. She had, apparently, stolen more than just a go board from Suguroku.

"Silver Fang?" Silver Fangs were the monsters that had been chasing them. Jou looked up at the werewolf again.

Kuro smiled up at her monsters, "Sil...ver... Fang... Bastet, Silver Fang."

And it finally clicked. Jou took a step back, "Whoa... you're tellin' me this guy's some kinda powered up Silver Fang?" Kuro gave him a blatant 'I can't understand you, dummy.' Look. "Never mind. Are you sure he's safe?"

"Safe," Kuro repeated, "Bastet safe." She reached for Jou's hand. He took another step back, and she followed. Finally, she caught his wrist and led him to stand in front of Bastet, "Bastet safe."

Slowly, he placed his hand on the wolf's huge muzzle. Immediately, Bastet began to nuzzle Jou the same way he had Kuro and soon he found himself laughing. Kuro stood back and watched, arms crossed with her head tilted just slightly to the side. Finally she sat down on Bastet's huge hand and said, "Bastet likes Jou," making Jou freeze on the spot. There was a steady, trusting smile on her face, "Safe."

They ate the best breakfast they'd had since this whole ordeal had begun, thanks to two slabs of steak and what looked like a horse carcass Bastet had brought them. Kuro cooked the steaks over a fire she built in the middle of the vault with spell while Bastet munched contentedly on his kill, leaving Jou to contemplate exactly how weird their situation was.

Finally, it was time to move again. Kuro lead the way, without hesitation, out of the bank and right into a waiting back of monsters. "Bastet," she called, and the huge werewolf reared up to its full height, almost as tall as a three story building. She said something in another language, and Bastet charged. He began tearing through the monsters, ripping them open with a single, deft movement of his hand and biting them in half. Blood sprayed in all directions, raining down on them in a storm of flashing claws and pained howls. Mercifully, Kuro muttered something and a translucent white barrier appear around them, deflecting the downpour.

'Man, I'm glad that thing's on my side,' Jou thought, watching Bastet take down a large dragon, something that he had never seen o a card. When the last monster was destroyed, Bastet loped back over to Kuro to be scratched behind the ears. 'From fluffy pet to killing machine and back again in zero point two.'

Kuro pulled Yugi's dueling deck out of her pocket and held it up to Bastet, giving him another one word order. Bastet leaned down and sniffed a few times, eyes steadily glowing bright gold. Kuro said something and Bastet turned his nose to the sky, sniffing the air.

"Um," Jou muttered intelligently.

Suddenly, Bastet went rigid. Kuro gave another smile and, without so much as a warning, Bastet picked Jou up around the middle and deposited him on one hairy shoulder, then placed Kuro on the other. Jou immediately grabbed a fistful of fur in each hand and held on tight. Bastet took off running on all fours down the deserted street.

_Cold. Dark. So cold._

'_Wake up, Yugi,'_

_Cold. _

_Gold eyes. Gold eyes and brown hair, a concerned look._

_Dark again._

'_You have to wake up, Yugi.'_

_Too cold._

'_They need you, Yugi.'_

_Blue eyes, white hair. An angel wing tattooed under one eye._

'_Help them find you.'_

'_Too cold.'_

'_Try, Yugi, please try.'_

'_I... I can't...'_

'_You're his light side, aren't you? You've got his power.'_

_Cold._

'_The Puzzle's broken...'_

_So Cold._

**Day 32**

"Well..." Jou looked over at Kuro when she spoke, then back at the ocean in front of them, then back at Kuro when she said, "shit." Jou would have laughed.

They both slid down Bastet's arms and looked tiredly at the ocean spread out before them. Kuro stepped up the cliff's edge and stared down at the water, giving a long-suffering sigh. Finally, she sat down on the ground and began to unpack. They would be staying here for the night.

While Jou and Bastet feasted on yet another dead monster, Kuro once again walked to the cliff's edge, then vanished. Jou gave a small shuddered when he saw this. He would never be used to her doing that, and who knew how long she'd be gone this time. As he was curling up against Bastet's side to sleep (that wolf made a GREAT pillow) he heard a voice muttering something from the direction Kuro had vanished. He couldn't make out the words, but a few minutes later the muttering became singing and Jou soon found himself lulled to sleep.

He dreamed about a girl with white hair. She was sitting on the ground, knees pulled up to her chest and crying. He reached out to touch her, and found a sword in his hand instead, flying down to cut her.

A crash of metal, and startled yell, and a furious snarl. A small girl with wild black hair was in his way, a gold dagger in each hand, blocking his sword. A black-furred Silver Fang was standing next to her. Nearby he could see another girl with glowing gold eyes holding a dog-sized white dragon and wearing a panicked expression.

When he awoke flying over the ocean on the back of a large bird, the dream vanished from his mind entirely.

**Day 65**

"_Kureiza,_"

"Night," Kuro repeated, "_Kureiza_, Night, bad."

"No kiddin'," Jou muttered. They were somewhere near Africa, he thought, it was hot enough. They were sitting in a makeshift tent around another of Kuro's magical fires, guarded by Bastet. Little by little, he and Kuro were learning to understand each other.

Kuro held her hand out over the fire before it went out again and muttered an incantation. It was obvious she was tired. There was a gash on her arm from a monster attack that looked infected. On impulse, Jou put his hand on top of hers. When she looked up he asked, quietly, "Can you teach me?"

"Teach?" she repeated.

He pointed to the fire, then to the knife at her side, "Teach."

She nodded in comprehension. She took Jou's hand and positioned it over the fire as hers had been, "_Terra indulgeo,_"

"_Terra indulgeo,_"

"_Unda tutela,_"

"_Unda tu...tutela,_"

"_Ego excito incendia,"_

"_Ego excito incendia,"_

"_Superum ut expello,"_

"_Superum ut expello,"_

"_Nox Kureiza,"_

"_Nox Kureiza,"_

The fire suddenly exploded to life and turned deep blue, knocking Kuro and Jou backwards. When it finally died down, Jou found Kuro staring at him with wide, stunned eyes. It was then that Jou realized two things: one, Kuro had one eye that was red and green, the other dark purple, and two, she was afraid of fire.

**Day 66**

They were in Egypt. Cairo, according the postcards Jou had found in the museum. As he watched, Kuro stopped in front of a glass case full of Egyptian swords and knives. She punched through the glass with her bare fist, setting off alarms everywhere. Completely ignoring them, she reached into the case and first pulled out several deadly-looking curved knives, removing each of her original ones from its hiding spot and replacing it. Then, she withdrew two, equally evil looking swords and handed out to Jou.

She grinned," Teach," and led the way outside for his first fighting lesson.

The black haired girl was older this time, and her hair was tied up in a spiky ponytail. She was sitting at the foot of a large throne with the two girls Jou had seen before. The white haired girl was using the black Silver Fang as a pillow, fast asleep. The other two were whispering to each other, hunched over a large scroll.

Jou looked down and found a throwing knife in his hand. With a smirk he pulled back and threw, aiming for his black-haired enemy. He heard her scream with a satisfied smirk, but when he looked back, his blood ran cold.

His knife was protruding not from her chest as he expected, but from the back of her companion. Then, all hell broke loose.

**Day 75**

Rule number one when fighting monsters: let your body fight for you. Jou had learned this very quickly the first time he and Kuro had been cornered by monsters waiting from Bastet to return with dinner. By now, he barely had to think about what he was doing. Seven times out of ten, Kuro ended up saving his sorry butt anyway, but he was still good, if he did say so himself. Kuro, who muttered what were probably her language's version obscenities every time she had to save him, probably disagreed.

Currently, she was trying, and failing, to teach him a barrier spell in hopes of not having to save him so much. Apparently, barriers didn't come as easily to him as elemental spells. (He had managed to summon a thunder storm when he accidentally mixed up two words in his campfire spell.) Kuro nearly died laughing.

Jou's barrier's kept vanishing before they became solid and Kuro was muttering a steadily louder and more dangerously-sounding string of obscenities in several languages. Bastet was sprawled across a sand dune, making noises that sounded oddly like snickering.

"This is so not fair," Jou grumbled, trying to hold up his most recent barrier attempt without success. Kuro glared and, without even the slightest hint of shame, kicked him in the shin and stalked off, leaving Jou hopping up and down on one leg and howling in pain.

Rule number two when fighting monsters: do not hop up and down on one foot, for any reason, howling in pain. It attracts them.

**Day 80**

Rule number three: Don't piss off your teacher. Especially when said teacher is already moody.

"C'mon!" Jou whined, "I killed it!" He waved around his bloodstained sword as proof. Kuro glared. Jou hid behind Bastet. "How much longer is she gonna be like this?"

Bastet gave a helpless werewolf shrug.

**Day 83**

Rule number four: Swords do not work for shish kabobs.

Jou stared despairingly at his ruined meal. Kuro and Bastet shook their heads sadly.

**Day 96**

Rule number five: If Kuro says move, you jump. If she says rest, then sleep until she wakes up you. Kuro's word is law, and she's usually right.

"Why am I standing guard up here again?" Jou grumbled, sitting down on the sand outside the temple. Bastet shrugged and continued to chew on a dragon bone. "I mean, what could be so bad down there?" At that moment a horrible, ear-splitting shriek and the sound of metal tearing erupted from the temple.

Bastet set his head on the sand and covered his ears. He gave Jou a look that plainly said 'You SURE you wanna go with her?'

Another shriek. Jou eeped and hid under Bastet's arm, "Kuro's a big girl, she can take care of herself."

Down in the temple, Kuro sneezed.

**Day 100**

Four days. Kuro had been down in that temple for four days. Jou was on the verge of panic.

Four days. Kuro had been fighting her way through this godforsaken tunnel for four days. She was starting to get mad.

The brunette had survived getting knifed in the back! That was impossible! But there they were, all three of them. She even had priestess robes now! And that dumb prince and the white-haired brat, they were both soldiers!

She had to die.

**Day 101**

Jou was jarred out of his dream by the ground shaking. He scrambled to his feet and looked around wildly. Bastet was nowhere to be found and Kuro was still down in the temple. Black lightning struck the ground near him and he toppled backwards.

_Warm. Warm arms, warm touch._

_Purple eyes, like mine. No dark eyes, not like mine. Dangerous._

_No, not warm. Cold, so cold._

_No._

_Don't touch me._

_Get away._

_Don't touch me._

Kuro gave a relieved sigh and placed her hand on the gold door in front of her. The lock dissolved into dust and the door swung open. Something slammed into her stomach with enough force to knock her to the ground and began tearing at her stomach, but not before she spotted the boy lying on the temple floor, a gold dagger held tightly in one fist.

She wrestled with the white beast for a moment, trying to avoid sharp claws and teeth and shut out the grating sound of its angry shrieks. She cursed in her language and the languages she'd learned as a child, even the curses she had picked up from her companion. She had not expected this.

_Cold._

The thought struck her with enough force to freeze her on the spot. Three sharp claws raked across her cheek.

_So cold._

"Yugi?" she breathed, ignoring the pain.

_Cold._

_Help me._

Kuro roared and threw her attacker off. It gave a pained shriek and fell limp when it hit the wall. On hands and knees, she approached the small form hunched against the wall. With gentle hands, she tilted Yugi's face up to hers. His skin was freezing and his eyes were completely empty, lost within their own amethyst depths.

"Yugi," she whispered. He shrank away from her voice, from her touch. "Yugi," she called again. She'd seen this before. Gently, she wrapped her arms around Yugi's body, resting her chin on his head. He needed warmth. He had to wake up.


End file.
